Fourteenth: Fashion Illustration with Paul Keng (The King)

Fashion Design

Aug 14

Years ago, I went back to The Fashion Institute of Technology to see one of my favorite draping professors, Marge Citkovic. During my visit, she said they were looking for good draping teachers and asked me if I would like to teach. I have always thought about how I would love to teach draping and sewing, but I have also dreamed of going back to F.I.T as a student. There is more to learn, even at my age.

Photo by Antonietta Henry Photography

My college experience wasn’t like that of the traditional college student. I commuted in and out of the city, and the routine was exhausting! For me, being a student at F.I.T. was more like a job. My classes and research projects centered around real experiences in the Fashion District in New York City. As I look back at those years, I loved studying fashion design! However, there was one class that kept me from the Highest Honors: Fashion Illustration!

Photos and Illustrations by Paul Keng

I began following Paul Keng on Instagram in 2015. I found his illustrations mesmerizing! Paul taught Fashion Illustration at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. Seeing his daily posts made me imagine returning as a student and getting the grade that made me fall short years ago. His techniques seem sensible and fluid, certainly not the methods I was taught while at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Paul began his rise to Instagram fame, gaining 1000-1500 followers a day when Jennifer Lopez followed him after posting this rendering in her Bao Tranchi black dress. Captioned, “The fashion industry should be thanking Jennifer Lopez because they will be making millions of dollars copying this dress.”

Receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from Otis/ Parson School of Design is not where his artistic talent began. Born in Indonesia, his father had high expectations for academic studies. Paul didn’t like to read but loved to redraw the illustrations in the textbooks.

“I began drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I drew an airplane from the kitchen to the living room. Every day I would add more passengers. My father wouldn’t allow me to draw. He said it was a wasted skill. I received a whooping and determined the only safe place to draw was under the dining room table. At eight years old, I could draw portraits and make dresses for dolls out of paper towels. ”

— Paul Keng

In 1979, Paul’s uncle visited his family in Indonesia. He recognized Paul’s talent and asked his parents if he could bring him back to Los Angeles to go to school in the United States. His mother insisted he take his sister too. At age fourteen, Paul left his home and began his life in California.

It is not just Paul Keng’s world travels that inspire him.

“When I draw, I am in a trance and become another character. I imagine wearing it. I feel every stroke. I know the fabric and the prints, and create a dream!”

Inspiration can be found anywhere, even amongst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy.

Using horoscope and astrology as a tool, Paul enables his students to learn the power of interpretation in fashion design. His illustration of the signs of Water and Fire demonstrate his expectations for his challenging lessons.

“It is very difficult for a student to get an A in class. The only way to deserve an A is for a student to function on their own verbally and make corrections. The minute I help you, I drop one grade down.”

The awe-inspiring collection from best friend, Chris Chang, prompted Paul to attempt to draw the entire collection. It took him one month to illustrate forty-eight of her fifty-four Chinese Opera influenced designs.

Alice in Wonderland found her way into the mind of this illustration genius, with fashion influence of Versace, Valentino, and Dolce & Gabbana.

“I don’t have a favorite sketch. My work is ever-changing and always improving. I get better by teaching and constantly drawing.”

The African tribes of Himba and Masai are represented through fabric patterns as they fill negative space. Paul’s figures come alive as colorful warriors.

Festivals and tribal dances fill Paul’s mind with ideas and commission his hands to gracefully wash color in a sequence that is unimaginable.

In March, when the pandemic ravaged our way of life in the United States, Paul began to teach his students online and opened his lessons to all. My dream to become a student again began!

If you are a novice or a designer who went to fashion school in the eighties, you will enjoy following his video-based techniques.

“Watch it, turn it off, and put it away. Use your memory to design, so you own it. You never learn until you actually do it. You have to feel the pain, the sweat, to get the joy!”

Photos and Illustrations by Paul Keng

“I have taken three courses with Paul so far; Figure Drawing, Coloring Techniques, and Bridal Gowns. His classes are a bit addicting and make you long for the next free moment to get your hands on a Copic Marker and feel like a professional illustrator!”

— Marie Hunt

While Paul doesn’t grade his online students outside of a college setting, he gave me an A+ for my final rendering for his Coloring Techniques class pictured above.

During my third class, I learned new techniques to create depth and texture. I began to write notes on my art to remember the crucial points.

“Allow the art to become what it wants to be!”

— Paul

I used Paul’s figure template to experiment with techniques I learned and created this illustration. I am still thinking of the direction I want to go with the model on the left.